The Snowball Effect
by LadyKF
Summary: He just wanted to find out who made the stupid Sephiroth sim. Revolution was not in Kunsel's plans.
1. Qualifications

**A/N:** This was a prompt fill for the 2019 FF7 Fanworks Exchange, for machineblue over on Ao3. The prompt was, "_Kunsel and the terrible horrible no-good very bad day in which his snooping accidentally causes a wild chain of events exposing the science department."_

* * *

Kunsel kind've had a _thing_ for information. He was good at gathering it, great at retaining it, and _fantastic _at parceling it out as he deemed fit. Which, to be honest, usually meant sharing tidbits with Zack now and then, because Zack had the _best_ reactions.

And Zack, bless his country boy heart, also had very unique perspectives on things. Which meant that some things that slipped by the rest of them, he _noticed._ And while a lot of it was just odds and ends Zack found interesting, things that Kunsel either knew or didn't find overly interesting himself, _sometimes_ he would pick up on something that was right up his alley.

"That Sephiroth sim is creepy," Zack announced, flopping down beside him in the SOLDIER lounge.

Zack and nonsequitors went hand in hand, so it was more the content than the sheer randomness that got Kunsel's attention. "_Sephiroth_ sim?"

"Yeah!" Zack, sensing he had information that Kunsel did not, grinned widely. "So, I'm in the training room with Angeal, right? And we're doing a combat sim, no big deal. He's probably done it like, a zillion times. And I come rounding a corner to take on the next set of troopers and you know who's there? Freaking_ Sephiroth._"

It was probably just as well you couldn't see Kunsel's dumbfounded staring through his helmet's visor. "I'm sorry, what?"

"_Sephiroth!_" Zack made a gesture over his head, presumably in reference to their general's significant height. "And, I mean, I haven't really _hung out_ with him, but for a minute there I really thought it was him! I almost got my head taken off standing at attention!"

"Angeal couldn't have mentioned that?" Kunsel said.

"Angeal was pissed off," Zack said. "That wasn't supposed to happen. Like, apparently he _knew it could,_ but it wasn't _planned_ \- he didn't activate a sim specifically with Sephiroth's digital likeness in it."

"Okay wait, back up," Kunsel said. "Tell me _exactly_ what went down with this."

So, naturally, Zack did, in dramatic cinematic detail complete with sound effects and mimicry. His Sephiroth stance, complete with a passable imitation of the esteemed First's facade of bored indifference, was particularly inspired.

Of course, then Angeal came after him for more training or some such, leaving Kunsel alone with this new information. He could have taken a mission off the board, of course, but his mind had latched on to this. Because here's the thing with programs, they did sometimes do really weird stuff, but that was entirely garbage-in, garbage-out. Operator error. Human imperfection in a mirror made of code.

This? A stunningly realistically coded 3D clone of their general? Someone didn't forget a bracket closing a line, this was _deliberate, _and of the insanely-time-consuming nature. Which brought up a few good questions.

_1) Who had the skills needed? _

Not just the coding, but the knowledge of _Sephiroth_, down to personal details like posture and verbal tics. This was someone who spent a lot of time around Sephiroth, or a creepy amount of stalker-like information gathering.

_2) Who not only had the skill, but the authority to plug the program in on an administrator__'s level?_

Because if this was some sort of subprogram that could activate _within_ other sims, you had to have even higher level authorization; that wasn't someone just making one sim up, that was someone with permission to edit _all of them._ Or, at least, had the access to do so.

_3) Who could possibly think this was a good idea?_

They all appreciated Sephiroth, of course they did. The rookies with their blind hero worship and the more experienced SOLDIERs with actual work experience with the man alike would take a shuriken for him any day, not that he needed it. But that was just it - Sephiroth was _the _SOLDIER. He was their best. And while people might fantasize about beating him, or at least taking his place, no one actually could.

(Genesis had been _actively trying_ to beat him since before the war started; if it was going to happen, SOLDIER's finest swordmage would have done it by now.)

So who in their right mind would put in a sim at a skill and strength level to get even _close_ to Sephiroth, that could just… wander across simulations and pop up on an unsuspecting Second like Zack? Because yeah, Zack was a prodigy, but he wasn't _that_ good. If Angeal hadn't been there, that could have gotten _ugly._

Kunsel tapped his fingers on his knees a moment, then got up and headed back to the dorm he and Zack shared. Zack wouldn't be back for hours, and he had something he wanted to look up. Namely, who all had access to sim development. He knew it was a collaborative effort between the SOLDIER Department and the Science Department, but who, exactly, was _in charge_ he didn't know.

He'd kind've thought Lazard, at first - the man was _highly_ active in almost all aspects of their department. But this wasn't his style, pitting SOLDIERs against each other. While he was fine with some healthy competition, he knew he wasn't happy about some of the rivalries (especially Genesis and Sephiroth) so he'd definitely _not_ encourage that.

It wasn't any of the officers, he was sure of that. Even if they were into coding (and he saw no evidence of that) no one had time for that with the war and the constantly filled mission board.

Which left _Science,_ and well… that was when the gut feeling kicked in. Because yeah, there was someone in Science _freakishly obsessed_ with Sephiroth. Someone who had the authority to go in and tweak the entire VR system and was _known_ for designing simulations for SOLDIER. Someone who'd get a kick out of seeing this sort of _disaster_ unfold.

And someone who had pretty lousy security, for being a director. He could really take some tips for the Turks. It took him more than an hour to break in to _their_ stuff.

Kunsel hummed and cracked his knuckles. Time to see what Hojo was up to lately.

* * *

That was a terrible idea, _gods_ _save him,_ it was a terrible idea.

Looking into Hojo's files was kind of like playing roulette. There was some interesting stuff in there, there _was,_ but there were freaky things, too. And it was like watching a car wreck as it happened; you knew something bad was happening, but you couldn't look away and suddenly there was this horrific scene you couldn't get out of your head for days.

And then, sometimes, it was like you were a frog in a frying pan, and you didn't realize what was going on until it was too late. Because one minute he'd been looking at Sephiroth's sim data, and then he was looking at a prototype for one of Genesis, and of course his mind had latched on to that because Genesis, as far as he knew, was overseen by _Hollander,_ and Hojo and Hollander didn't share.

So how did Hojo get the information? The obvious answer would be that he was the director and had access to all of Hollander's work whether Hollander liked it or not. But then, why Genesis and not Angeal? Or why not Genesis _and_ Angeal? The time stamp on the work said it was an older project, which was also confusing. It would have been started _before_ Genesis had even joined ShinRa in '91, let alone become the famed Crimson Commander. He was, as far as SOLDIER was concerned, a nobody at the time. Hell, in '85 he was what… nine?

Why did they have information on a nine year old Genesis?

(There was a little voice most people had that told them, _hey, you might not want to do this thing, this sounds Classified._ Kunsel had long since gagged this voice, tied it up, and thrown it into a bolted closet, and therefore did not question the impulse to dig deeper.)

And that was how Kunsel found himself staring at a picture of a girl who couldn't be much younger than Zack, with brilliant red hair and cunning red eyes and _my_, she looked uncomfortably like a young Genesis in her early pictures.

As far as his records stated, Genesis was an only child. He was also far too young to have a fifteen year old daughter. _It__'s impossible, it's just a freaky coincidence, there's no way -_

Oh.

Gene grafts. Okay then, that was horribly invasive, immoral, and nonconsensual. Must be Tuesday.

Her name was Rosso, and like Sephiroth she was given no last name. Unlike Sephiroth, however, she wasn't alone. A little more digging revealed two younger boys, brothers named Weiss and Nero who'd had similar treatment on top of all sorts of complicated enhancements. To what ends, exactly, Kunsel had no idea. He kept seeing mention of this _Deepground Protocol,_ so presumably there was an attached Deepground _Project._

"You would _think_ there would be a project list…" Kunsel worried at his lip a moment, finally running up against some tougher security clearance.

Which left him at a crossroads.

Who do you tell?


	2. Pros and Cons

"Who do you tell" was actually a multifaceted question.

Who did he have access to that had any sort of improved access over his stolen codes?

Who was going to be willing to get involved?

Who was going to be willing to back him up to get answers?

It had to be someone with some measure of authority, preferably in SOLDIER or Science (the Turks were always _so_ tricky to deal with, and it would be putting them in an awkward spot, too.) On the Science end of things… people were generally pretty aware that dodgy stuff was going down. Things were darker than a subterranean cave down there. And anyone who was involved with _this_ was probably okay with it.

Which left SOLDIER, and the top three officers and their director for people who had viable access codes. Probably.

Who would get involved, and back him up? What were the pros and cons here?

_**DIRECTOR LAZARD**_

_**Pros:**_

\- Director of SOLDIER, has the highest clearance level

\- very level headed, would hear him out before passing judgment

\- always down to fight for SOLDIER

_**Cons:**_

\- has already had a 'talk' with the Turks about Kunsel's snooping

\- would not be happy to have another talk

\- would probably change his access

\- tries not to fight with non-Heidegger directors

There was some potential there. Realistically, the worst he'd probably get from Lazard would be exasperation and grumbling, and _maybe_ telling him to leave it in his hands. Of course, if he started with Lazard and Lazard _didn__'t_ approve… there was no going over his head. Odds were good the President approved this, and there's no way he'd give a damn about what some nobody Second Class had to say. Hmm…

_**GENERAL SEPHIROTH**_

_**Pros:**_

\- Director's acting SIC, has the second highest clearance level

\- has an in with Science, whether he likes using it or not

\- could use said 'in' to get answers from Hojo? maybe

\- super protective over SOLDIER, including Genesis

\- probably was sick of that sim too

_**Cons:**_

\- was not actually an executive

\- not usually the sort to question things too closely

\- might get seriously indignant over all this

\- is not necessarily above brute force (possibly a pro)

So that was probably a good start, actually. Keeping it in the SOLDIER ranks, still going pretty high up the ladder, involving someone who would not only care but would probably do _something._ The question, of course, was what. Where did Sephiroth draw his lines? Where were his limits? And what happened when he was pushed past them? It might be better to draw in someone more… predictable.

_**COMMANDER HEWLEY**_

_**Pros:**_

\- high clearance level

\- extremely level headed, but puts up with no bullshit from anyone

\- also extremely protective of SOLDIER, _especially_ Genesis

\- has never met someone he wouldn't stare down

\- has a soft spot for kids

\- definitely sick of that sim

_**Cons:**_

\- not an executive, and would need Sephiroth or Lazard to have any traction against the Science Dept

\- does not approve of hacking

\- super by-the-book

\- would lecture everybody involved at length, probably more than once, including Kunsel himself (see point 2)

Promising, certainly, lots of pros there, but some significant cons, too. He'd have to weigh that one out. Especially since Angeal would be a stepping stone to getting someone who could throw more authority around. Then again, he also had an in with Hollander, which might be useful in the case of playing the scientists off each other. _Assuming_ Angeal would go for something like that, which was questionable. But he might be able to be tricked into it… he wouldn't take him off the list yet.

Of course, being fair, there was _one more_ person who ought to at least be considered…

_**COMMANDER RHAPSODOS**_

_**Pros:**_

\- high clearance level

\- would take this very personally and therefore be immediately invested

\- out of fucks with the science department and willing to set all sorts of red tape on fire

\- has forgotten what it feels like to be intimidated by people

\- probably also really sick of that sim

_**Cons:**_

\- would _also _need Lazard's assistance to have any traditional power against the Science Department (asking Sephiroth is a _no_)

\- interprets "live by the sword, die by the sword" as in "I live by it, you die by it"

\- infamous, long-burning temper would absolutely ignite from this (see point 2)

\- might legit kill people for this (see points 2 & 3)

Genesis might be the most motivated out of all of them to do something about this, but his methods were probably not ones to encourage. Well. Maybe. They were _awfully_ effective, and Kunsel didn't think too kindly on nonconsensual human experimentation. It was one thing when you signed up for SOLDIER, but this…

Something needed done about it. The question was what, and who to bring in on it.

* * *

**A/N:** A _much_ shorter chapter than usual, but there's only 5 chapters and I'm posting daily so I think it's fair. The rest are all back to my normal lengths.


	3. Zack Happens

Zack had a way of making an entrance, even when it was something as simple as coming through a sliding door. (And Kunsel was _so glad_ the doors were automated, because seriously, he'd bet his next paycheck it would have come off its hinges being thrown open by now otherwise. Besides, it was _so_ much easier to break in via a keycard system than it was through old fashioned physical locks.)

But back to Zack, who was also almost impossible to ignore, _especially_ after bounding into the room. "_Kunseeeeeel!_"

"Heeeeey. All done?" Kunsel asked, not looking up from his laptop. Which was exactly how he got pounced.

And his mouse got bumped.

And with a single click, he was back to the screen with Rosso's file, in an unheard of display of clumsiness.

"Hey, who's the girl? She looks like Gen! Like, a lot like Gen, actually." Zack twisted towards the doorway for Unplanned Revelation 2. "She has mako eyes and everything. _Red_ mako eyes. I thought SOLDIER eyes were shades of blue?"

Kunsel glanced up, face admirably mild in the face of _Commander Hewley_ and the beginnings of his legendary frown. A million excuses sprang to mind and died sour on his tongue under that look. "Uh."

Angeal arched a brow and came around to see. "Red mako eyes?"

"Kinda? Look."

Angeal scanned the page, frown deepening. "…where did you get this?"

"Oh, you know, I uh…" He made the mistake of _looking at_ him. "…Science Department."

Angeal scowled, towering over him. (Being fair, he was sitting, and Angeal was taller to begin with, but hell, the man could _loom._) "And why are you in possession of Science Department files?"

Whelp… in for a penny, in for a pound. "So, I was wondering what was up with that rogue Sephiroth sim Zack mentioned, you know? That seems really dangerous. And I was thinking, if we _understood _it we might be able to take better precautions before it springs up on the wrong person and someone gets seriously hurt." Not entirely true, but Angeal didn't know that and it was close enough.

"Only, see, I found data on Genesis for a similar sim that hadn't been used, right? And the file went back… really, really far." He could see wary curiosity and budding concern taking over the indignance, which was what he'd been hoping for. "Like, _well_ before you guys joined SOLDIER."

"What sort of information?" Angeal asked quietly.

"Medical, and academic assessments, mostly," Kunsel said. "But like, _invasively_ medical, at a glance. I didn't read it all."

"…why would ShinRa have information on Genesis before he joined SOLDIER?" Zack asked.

"See, that's what I was curious about and then I found that his file linked to hers," Kunsel explained. "And, uh… they share some genetic markers…"

"They _are_ related?" Zack said.

"Kiiiiinda?" Kunsel hedged. "There may have been some genetic tinkering going on."

And back to the frown, only it was bordering on a scowl now and my, he was _Not Happy._ Well, that made two of them but Kunsel wasn't making intimidating faces about it. "I think we need to discuss this in more detail."

_Great_.

Which was how he found himself sitting at _General Sephiroth's_ much bigger apartment, which felt _so much smaller_ when faced with SOLDIER's top two. He did have a moment of tech envy over the massive monitor he was able to hook his laptop into, displaying information up on the wall for them. Zack was sticking close, both out of interest and moral support, but that didn't take away the intimidation factor of Angeal looming behind his shoulder. Sephiroth, at least, was standing closer to the wall, wearing a faint frown as he looked the displayed information over.

"This doesn't make _sense,_" Sephiroth murmured finally. "And for all his flaws, there's usually _some_ logic to Hojo's actions. Why Genesis?"

"You mean because you're the general?" Zack said.

"I mean because he prioritizes me far over Genesis. Obsessively so." Sephiroth shook his head. "Whatever this is, it isn't just a whim of his. Someone else is involved."

"Or he doesn't expect the project to succeed, so he's… you know." Angeal grimaced at Sephiroth's faintly amused smile. "Don't look at me like that, I'm talking about how the professor would view things."

"Hn." Sephiroth tapped his fingers against his arm, looking at the file again. "_Something_ is going on."

"Could say that again," Zack muttered.

"Something is going on," Sephiroth repeated, adding, "and I don't like it."

"We need to tell Genesis before we move forward on this," Angeal said, and Angeal had clearly not written the pros and cons list that Kunsel had or he would be thinking twice about this. Because while Sephiroth's methods were compatible with Angeal's level headed, calm approach, Genesis' most definitely were _not._ He didn't want to claim to know him better, the two had practically lived in each others' pockets their whole childhood and as often as they could even after joining SOLDIER. No one knew Genesis better than Angeal. So he had to know this was a _terrible_ idea, right?

Kunsel glanced at Angeal. "Sir?"

"The genetics being used _are_ his," Sephiroth agreed.

"What's that make Rosso, anyway?" Zack asked, squinting at the file as if it would suddenly make more sense to him. "His daughter? Half-sister? What about the boys?"

"I don't know that that percentage of genetic transference would make such a strong tie," Sephiroth said. "Then again, there isn't exactly _precedent _for this. Legally, if he claimed such a relation there might be advantages."

"You say this like the entire legal system of this _continent_ isn't in ShinRa's pocket," Kunsel muttered.

"Come on, even ShinRa has to play by _some_ rules, right?" Zack protested. At Kunsel's _look_ he looked back to Angeal hopefully. "_Right?_"

Angeal sighed. "In theory."

"In _theory?_"

"Not necessarily in the way you're thinking," Sephiroth said. "There _are_ rules that must be observed, however. Certain lines that are not permitted to be crossed, even by the Professor. Should we catch him in such a position, we would have leverage."

"Which is more Genesis' line than either of ours," Angeal said, and oh, Kunsel suddenly had a sinking feeling of _exactly_ how this was going to go. They weren't hoping Genesis would be tempered between Angeal's calm and Sephiroth's logic.

They were letting him out full force, like a leather clad battering ram. _Or a flamethrower. Honestly, he__'s more the flamethrower type,_ Kunsel mused in the idle sort of way one did when they realized they were in entirely over their head.

He didn't even have a clever backup plan for this. All he could do was desperately try to be the voice of reason. "You know he might literally take someone's head off for this, right?"

"I'm prepared to take that risk," Sephiroth said mildly.

Angeal sighed, running a hand back through his hair. "I understand your concern, Kunsel, but we can't keep this from him. He deserves to know what we've found out."

"But perhaps it could wait until we have the big picture," Sephiroth said. "There's _something _going on, something bigger than someone just plastering Genesis' genes onto teenagers. Some _purpose._ And until we know what that is, I am hesitant to move forward."

"Soooo… how do we get more information?" Zack asked, glancing at Kunsel.

"I mean, I ran up against higher security, I've gone as far as I can go," Kunsel said, for once terribly grateful for it.

Sephiroth hummed quietly, and came back to lean over Kunsel's shoulder, elegant fingers dancing over the keyboard with unexpected grace and speed before bringing the Science Department files back up.

And changing the access.

Notably, to access he was absolutely certain had nothing to do with him being the general of _SOLDIER._ "…sir?"

"Photographic memory, and people who don't realize the full application of it," Sephiroth said mildly. "Are you able to do more from here?

Kunsel took in a slow, deep breath, eyes wide as he carefully poked about the system to see what level of authorization he'd just been so casually granted.

_System moderator? Holy shit._

The urge to dig rapidly overwhelmed good sense, and Kunsel _grinned._ "Yeah. Yeah, I can work with this."


	4. Enter the Turks

The good news was Sephiroth's borrowed clearance was _amazing._ Seriously, Kunsel was having an absolute _blast_ with nearly unfettered access to the system. The problem had never been _skill_ at ferreting out information, after all. He was damn good at it.

The bad news was like, literally everything else.

They found the Deepground Project. Which was about the point that Angeal said some words that would have been absurdly funny coming from _him_ if it hadn't been because he was absolutely _furious._

Which was not to say that Kunsel wasn't caught up in the whole righteous indignation thing, too, he was. He was _pissed._ But he was more like a pissy Coeurl besides two raging Nibel Dragon dams who'd found you stealing eggs from their nest.

He was also the last line of defense for the crumbling lines of reason.

"Okay wait, _wait,_ we need to think about this," Kunsel insisted. "This has Presidential approval, okay. This has multiple board members behind it. They're not going to stop just because _we don__'t like it._"

"Then perhaps it's time for a change in administration," Sephiroth said icily.

"_Whoa,_ now, okay, back up - uh." Being under the full force of that cold green stare did something to a man's ability to protest. Swallowing hard, he looked to Angeal. _"Commander,_ c'mon. Back me up here. You can't just… remove them from the equation without consequences."

"They won't all need removed," Sephiroth said. "One, maybe two. Hojo will fall into line, verses the alternative. Heidegger talks a big game but is ultimately a coward up against someone he has no power over. Scarlet's priorities are being able to do her job, and making herself _other_ people's priority; I doubt she's overly invested in this. If anything, another enhanced force is a threat to her department, and she'd be happy to see them go."

"Which leaves the President," Angeal said.

Silence descended.

Sephiroth arched a fine brow with a chilling smile. "A little early for a birthday present, but I don't think Lazard or Rufus would mind."

"Hold on, that is… that is _assassination,_ you are talking about assassination," Kunsel said. Sephiroth blinked at him as if he was the one being crazy. "Your answer to this is to _kill him?_"

"Who, exactly, do you expect would _arrest_ him?" Sephiorth asked dryly. "You said it yourself, the entire legal system is in ShinRa's pocket. Rupert Shinra is the definition of the sort of self important ass who fancies himself a king and the rest of us his slaves. You don't arrest a king, unless you're the king's heir and ready to take his place. A soldier is in no position to usurp the throne. A soldier has one tool at his disposal, and that is his sword."

"And when all you have is a hammer, everything starts looking like a nail," Kunsel muttered, rubbing his face. "Oh boy."

"There are two courses of action available to us," Sephiroth said. "We either let things continue as they are, or we change them. And continuing on like this is unacceptable."

"Right." He knew that. He just… he had not walked into this planning for someone to end up _dead._

"When someone starts crossing these sorts of moral lines, they're only going to go deeper down from there," Angeal said quietly. "I don't like the idea either… but I can't say I'm seeing an alternative."

When, Kunsel wondered, did you reach a point in your career that killing people was such a casual thing that it was presented as the first solution _and even the reasonable one_ was nodding along with it?

Maybe he was worried about the wrong SOLDIER. All along he'd been thinking Genesis would be the catalyst to violence, and here was _Sephiroth_ just… casually advocating for flat out _execution_.

"If you have a better idea, I'm willing to hear you out," Sephiroth said mildly.

Kunsel hesitated. It wasn't so much that he even _liked_ the president, but this seemed… a little extreme. "What about the Turks?"

By _what about the Turks,_ it should be said, he had fully meant 'won't they be a problem?' because well, it was literally their job to be watching over the president, amongst other duties. (Funny when being a bodyguard was the mundane one.) He also would have been open to interpreting it as 'couldn't _they_ arrest him' because hell, the head of the Turks might have even surpassed Genesis in sheer… what did you call it, from a man like that? Not audacity, he didn't think, though _bold_ was an understatement. Veld Faraman was _fearless,_ hard ass, badass, and definitely not a man you wanted to cross.

So why, for the love of Gaia, was Sephiroth _smiling?_

* * *

Apparently Tseng and Sephiroth were chess buddies, and Sephiroth had known Veld since he was a kid. Who knew? Not Kunsel. Today was a day of all _sorts_ of fun surprises. (Could you feel the sarcasm? He hoped so.)

So, at this point, they had brought Genesis in - because as Angeal pointed out, if they didn't he would hold a grudge quite possibly for the rest of their lives - and the two childhood friends had vanished into the kitchen for a long talk before the Turks ever got there.

But their arrival was strategically timed, keeping Genesis from just storming off himself. His ego would demand he keep himself composed in front of those he saw as _outsiders_, regardless that they were friends-of-a-friend.

Not that it mattered. Kunsel was just grateful no one was running off, and was holding out hope that maybe, _just maybe, _Veld could be the voice of reason.

"I'll cut you all a break on poking around where you shouldn't be, in light of what you found," Veld said. "Provided I'm given full disclosure."

"If I wanted to lie to you Veld, it would have been over the phone," Sephiroth said. "Kunsel, if you would…?"

It was probably a good idea he didn't say _if you wouldn__'t mind,_ because Kunsel very much minded. But what did you say? _No?_ To the _general?_ And the head of the Turks? Not that he wasn't sure they weren't on the path to career suicide, but he'd like to not be on Sephiroth's warpath, which was _actual_ suicide. There were more jobs, he had plenty of marketable skills. He only had the one life; Phoenix Downs were ridiculously expensive. "Yessir. You want me to start from the beginning, or…?"

"Go ahead," Sephiroth said.

So, Kunsel did, taking comfort in the simple recitation of fact. How he'd heard about the Sephiroth sim and gone looking for its origins on a whim. And how he'd found information on Genesis. And Rosso, Weiss and Nero. And how _that_ had led them to Deepground.

When all was said and done, he heaved a sigh and looked back tentatively at Veld, dearly missing his helmet and envying the neutral expression he maintained so effortlessly. Not fair.

"Obviously, your demand would be the return of the stolen SOLDIERs, and the dismantlement of the program?" Veld guessed, arching a brow.

"That's a nice start," Sephiroth said.

"And if they are unwilling, what are you prepared to do?" Veld asked.

"If they won't dismantle the program, then we will dismantle the group behind it," Sephiroth said simply. "As literally as necessary, until the remains are either cooperative or no longer a problem."

This was where Veld was supposed to tell him no. Where he was supposed to have some other, more reasonable, less _bloody_ solution.

He was not supposed to look so thoughtful.

"You realize, of course, as desirable as it would be to have a fresh start, that doing a clean sweep through the involved executives would leave us without several department heads and arguably the president himself?" Veld said.

"You say this like you're expecting me to have a problem with that," Sephiroth said. "They're not irreplaceable. But I don't think they're all necessary to remove. In fact, if you go for the head of the problem the rest should be negotiable."

Veld didn't need further elaboration on the point, but he arched a brow at that. "And how do you expect to fill that power vacuum? Don't tell me that's not your job. You would be cleaning up the mess if things dissolve into anarchy. Rufus isn't even a legal adult, let alone in a position to take the presidency."

Sephiroth mirrored the gesture with a thin smile. "Well. Rufus is hardly the only blood heir, now, is he?"


	5. Walk Softly (And Carry A Big Stick)

It wasn't exactly a _secret _that Lazard was, in fact, one of Rupert ShinRa's sons. The glasses helped, to be sure, and his coloring was darker, but Kunsel had seen pictures of the president when he was young, and they had a _lot_ in common, especially around the mouth and eyes - key features for recognizing a person. In fact, while he'd never say it, Lazard had his moments of being _particularly _reminiscent of his sire when he cast aside his good natured, chill persona and brought his rank into play.

Of course, he'd never seen the president look poleaxed, so _right_ _then_ the resemblance wasn't as strong.

But to back up a bit: Sephiroth had all-too-readily volunteered Lazard for the presidency. Genesis, without a hint of irony, informed him that Lazard would kill him before he ever got to straightening things out with the board. (Kunsel wasn't entirely sure about that, but if anything would do it, the uptick in paperwork might just.)

So the plan was revised. They were going to kill the president, and _then_ inform Lazard of his promotion, which could be negotiated as temporary until Rufus turned… however old one should be to be the president of a multicontinental mega corporation and de facto government. At least eighteen, right? Right.

This was such a bad idea, for so many reasons, and Kunsel kept looking at Veld hoping for him to say _'no, this is how we'll do it'_ and have an actual solution that did not include killing people. He wasn't sure what that would be, but surely to goodness there was _something._

Only he didn't. Oh, sure, he made it clear they were going to attempt negotiations first. But that was it. Plan B was still 'let's kill them all' and just… that seemed to be a little unnecessarily escalating things, didn't it? No? Just him?

Okay then.

Veld was apparently calling an emergency board meeting because that was apparently something he could just… do, and whether that was because he was a board member or the head of the Turks, he didn't say, but Kunsel was of a mind that the whole 'chief of security says it's an emergency, it's an emergency' thing fit. (Don't talk to him about Heidegger. Public Safety was a joke to everyone but Public Safety. They were the _visible _force, sure. But if you wanted something done, you went to the Turks.)

So, Kunsel and Zack were not going to this board meeting. Veld pointed out that he could just as easily have Reno produce any necessary information if the negotiations took that route, and honestly? Kunsel was good with that. He was really good with not being present for this.

That didn't mean he didn't immediately hack into Heidegger's security feeds on the boardroom to _watch,_ however. It was like going to a movie. Except it was either going to be rated PG-13 or rated R and you didn't know until you got to that point. But hey, he was over 13. And he had his emotional support puppy. All good, right? Sephiroth wasn't a fan of gore anyway, it would be handled neatly, if at all. And this could totally just be a conversation. Surely to goodness they weren't going to call the bluff of someone who they had personally made sure was capable of carrying that kind of threat out? Right? _Surely_ these people who used Sephiroth as their ultimate answer to taking out any opposing force _had_ to realize that they _did not want_ to be the next 'opposing force' on his list.

Right?

Veld opened the conversation, mild and as close to non-confrontational as could be. "Some information has recently come to light that has concerned our officers, regarding the Deepground Project."

Polite smiles fell, either to something more serious or - in a few notable cases - confusion.

Hojo, it should be noted, looked _amused._ Like he knew exactly where this was going, and was morbidly glad he had a front row seat.

The president clasped his hands, looking at the three SOLDIERs before him. "How did you come upon this information?"

"I don't feel that is necessary for you to know," Sephiroth said, as if he wasn't talking to the man whose orders he'd taken since he was a child, largely without question. "All you need to know, is that the program is going to be discontinued."

If there was any expression Rupert Shinra had down, it was condescension. He arched a brow with a thin smile, apparently not yet aware of where this was going. "Mind yourself, Sephiroth, and don't forget your place."

"My place?" Sephiroth inclined his head, left hand flexing slightly. "Last I checked, my _place _was to eliminate all threats to the company."

"Deepground is no enemy of the company, Sephiroth. If anything, one day they'll be your comrades in arms," Rupert said. He did not seem to notice how Lazard tracked the motion of his hand, or the little chuckle from Hojo. "There's no reason to stop the project. It's going very well."

"You've been operating on SOLDIERs stolen from a variety of infirmaries to create a slave army, and in the very least several of them have been enhanced using Genesis' genes without his consent," Sephiroth said mildly, in the exact tone you would use to speak to a child who was trying to grasp a difficult concept. "We find that unacceptable."

Rupert flushed at his tone, narrowing his eyes. "That's unfortunate, since you don't have a say in it."

"He did not," Zack muttered.

"Oh, he did," Kunsel said. He saw Sephiroth's hand flex again, for want of the sword he could _so easily_ summon. Genesis' fists were clenched behind his back, and if he had to guess he'd have said they were piping hot with fire magic smoldering under his skin. They'd been angry when they left, and it hadn't gotten any better. _This_ sure as hell wasn't helping.

"I think you're mistaking us for people who still care about your opinion," Genesis said flatly.

"This isn't about _opinions,_ this is about _orders,_" Rupert growled. "I should have you all -"

"What?" Genesis asked, and the smile on his face was one of dark glee. "What _will_ you do, old man? Send us back to our apartments, under house arrest behind doors a Third Class could kick in half? Have us arrested and chained up in the middle of a war you can't win without us? Have us _executed_ by forces that are far more loyal to us than to you? In what fantasy scenario do you see yourself winning here?"

"You will do as you're told -" Rupert started.

"_Make me,_" Genesis purred. "I'd like to see it. Go on."

"You're welcome to shoot us," Sephiroth said, glancing at Veld. "If you like. I won't retaliate."

"Oh _do,_" Genesis agreed, holding his arms open. "Come now, at this range even a rookie couldn't miss."

Rupert flushed, infuriated, and pulled a pistol from his coat. "Don't think I won't. You're not irreplaceable, any of you. We made you what you are, and we can do it again."

Genesis laughed darkly. "Do it. You know you want to. Shut us up. Prove no one talks out against the great President Shinra."

Snarling with fury, Rupert fired.

There was a flash of silver, as Masamune was summoned, glinting in the light of the boardroom and effortlessly deflecting the bullet with a flick of his wrist. It whistled by the President's ear, embedding itself into the wall behind him. And Sephiroth _smiled._ "Would you like to try again?"

Rupert paled. It was one thing to hear rumors, to see video feeds of the man in action. It was quite another to only be separated by less than ten feet of table and get a first person example of how _useless_ the one means of self defense you'd put so much faith in your whole life was. "Veld…"

"Sir, there is literally nothing I can do against these three men at close range, without extensive preparation and a hell of a lot of luck," Veld said flatly. He took a sip of his coffee, setting it down with a _chink_ that was oddly loud in the utter stillness. "There's nothing _anyone_ can do."

"As you requested, they _are_ an unstoppable force," Hojo mused, something like pride in his voice. "You never said anything about a failsafe in SOLDIER."

"And by the time you could mobilize someone - if, mind, _anyone _would dare - you'll be dead," Genesis said.

"So, we say again," Sephiroth said. "Deepground _will_ be shut down immediately. I assume you know how to dismantle your creation, Professor?"

"It's going to take time, unless you want them all killed, but there's certainly ways of… minimizing the difficulty of it," Hojo said thoughtfully. "Some of them may need put down, but there's likely some salvageable individuals, given time and therapy."

"We'll discuss that later, then," Sephiroth said. "For now, perhaps we should see about further concerns while we have everyone's attention."

"Isn't Deepground _enough?_" Rupert asked.

"I, for one, tire of throwing our men away in this war that's nothing more than a temper tantrum over Wutai refusing to submit to your control," Sephiroth said.

"Agreed," Angeal said softly. "There's no honor in this. Just brutality and cruelty, and unnecessary bloodshed."

"Wutai isn't going to just stop because you want to declare a ceasefire," Heidegger said, which Kunsel personally thought was one of the stupider things he could have done. Now was not the time to draw the trio's attention, and from the way he swallowed under the weight of their combined gaze, he'd clearly realized it.

"Perhaps not," Genesis mused. "Not without a gesture of good will…"

They looked back to the president, calculating.

"You know," Angeal mused. "I think I've got an idea."

* * *

So, apparently there was a Plan C that no one had informed Kunsel about, which was not very nice; that would have done _wonders_ for his blood pressure sitting there waiting for Sephiroth to just… lop off the President's head. Or worse, let _Genesis_ handle it.

Plan C, for the curious, was Angeal's idea. Which was "publicly arrest the president for war crimes and hand him over to Emperor Godo for sentencing as an act of good will towards ending the war" - a great idea, really. And a huge relief. Because while it was _entirely_ possible Godo would order him executed, at least Kunsel didn't have to feel like it was his fault anymore. The man _was_ a war criminal.

Threatening to add Heidegger as a package deal went a long way to shutting him up about the other arrangement, which was the predictable upset over giving Lazard the presidency. Lazard was honestly equally unhappy with this promotion and immediately made a public statement that he was merely taking over as Rufus' guardian until his younger brother could finish college and take over himself. He'd also drafted Reeve Tuesti as a sort of unofficial Vice President. Reeve, likewise, wanted nothing to do with the position but was happy to take a bigger role in the company, shifting the focus to more domestic matters as the war wound to an unexpected close.

And, of course, as Lazard was now far too busy to manage SOLDIER, he promptly and rather gleefully dumped it into Sephiroth's lap to deal with for the next five or so years until he could take the role back himself. Sephiroth, in return, began to make changes of his own, including making accommodations to merge the three Tsviets and Deepground forces into SOLDIER - or _back_ into SOLDIER, in many cases. The trio were oddly fixated on Genesis being their brother, which was both good and bad. It made them more agreeable… so long as it was something Genesis was going along with. Given Genesis' mercurial nature, well. That was Sephiroth's problem. Sometimes literally.

Of course, the Turks were a little concerned about this whole revolution business, but they were pacified by Sephiroth agreeing that in the future Kunsel would specifically work _with_ them. (Which was very rude, he could have at least _asked_ so Kunsel could volunteer before he was voluntold_._)

But hey, it meant he got to work with Reno on an audit of the Science Department, which was equal parts fascinating and horrifying. He got the fun bit of going and digging to catalog all of Hojo's old projects, because the failures were a different kind of horrifying on the whole, and were, at least, concluded instead of having the nauseating uncertainty of _wait this is still happening? Right now?_

It was one such time that he was combing through the archives, comfortably settled at the table while Zack fluttered around in the kitchen trying to follow some instructions Angeal had left. (Reno had tried to bet him they'd end up ordering pizza, and Kunsel had gone along with it only because he knew for a fact that Zack had had pizza the day before and would therefore want something else.)

He wasn't really supposed to _read _the projects, of course, just archive their summaries, but there was one about materia grafting that actually looked really interesting. He clicked it open, reading along in silence, not really minding his own business but innocently doing exactly what he'd been told. And then he got to the first subject and paused. "…hey Reno?"

"Yeah buddy?"

"Isn't Veld's last name Faraman? F-a-r-a-m-a-n?" Kunsel checked.

Reno arched a brow. "Yeah?"

Kunsel nodded slowly. "You know anyone named _Felicia _Faraman?"

Reno froze, and a little ball of dread began to form in Kunsel's stomach. "…let me see that."

Kunsel nodded uneasily, turning the computer his way.

Reno swore colorfully and with feeling. "That's the chief's _daughter._"

Oh. Well shit.


End file.
